hit the 30 pounds mark, just want some info :)

[omdz]

So to day I hit the 30 pounds weight loss (I didn't notice nothing different though) so I took some pics/video and compared to when I started and I think I can see some difference.. oh well I got a long way to go yet

So basically I just wanted to ask some people what should I do? what exercises at my current state and equipment should I buy

I don't mean cardio I mean muscle building (at the moment I only have 35KG in weights and a barbell and bench (getting more this week hopefully) and a iron gym pullup bar but I cant even do one pullup

Heres a pic of before (23rd sep) and today, I know I still have a while to go but you know.

Thanks for any advice

[Sawa3]

Hat exercises are you currently doing? Are you only working out at home?

[mdoghman]

So to day I hit the 30 pounds weight loss (I didn't notice nothing different though) so I took some pics/video and compared to when I started and I think I can see some difference.. oh well I got a long way to go yet

So basically I just wanted to ask some people what should I do? what exercises at my current state and equipment should I buy

I don't mean cardio I mean muscle building (at the moment I only have 35KG in weights and a barbell and bench (getting more this week hopefully) and a iron gym pullup bar but I cant even do one pullup

Heres a pic of before (23rd sep) and today, I know I still have a while to go but you know.

Thanks for any advice

you can check some of the workout plans on the website.
there are plenty.

i dont know what you have been doing for now.

[omdz]

Hat exercises are you currently doing? Are you only working out at home?

Well, not really that much, I have started walking everywhere when I go out with friends. that normally burns like 2k calories

if I don't go out for a day I'll go on my bike for 20-40 minutes

And lifting, I bench, barbell curl sometimes, dead lift and squat

And eyah I only work out from home

Currently trying to be able to do pullups/chinups

[cyco85]

Unless you're friends with Moses and a nomadic tribe of jews wandering through a desert all day, you're not burning 2000 calories per day walking.

[omdz]

Unless you're friends with Moses and a nomadic tribe of jews wandering through a desert all day, you're not burning 2000 calories per day walking.

My bad, I don't know where I got that number from

But a normal full day out with friends 1 PM - 11PM I walk about 300-400 minuets which these calorie counters say burns 1600 for 300 minutes and 2123 for 400 minutes

Sorry if I am wrong

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/exercise/lookup

[Sawa3]

Well start by adding some more intense spurts of cardio.
Do push ups, planks, Russian twists, tricep dips, walking lunges. If you don't have funds to add much more with weight use weights and do like wall squats and weighted body weight exercises.
Maybe add some more weight to your set. A bosu ball has been helpful along with a medicine ball. All different weights.
Diet will be most of the losing weight but you can only eat so little and it will only tone ya up so much. that is where exercise comes in. Muscle takes up less space and burns more calories than fat. So you are going to achieve goals faster with exercise. Hope this helps!

Well, not really that much, I have started walking everywhere when I go out with friends. that normally burns like 2k calories

if I don't go out for a day I'll go on my bike for 20-40 minutes

And lifting, I bench, barbell curl sometimes, dead lift and squat

And eyah I only work out from home

Currently trying to be able to do pullups/chinups

[nhclone]

So....you spend 10 hours every day walking with ur friends? #kindagay

Lifting weights is a must on a cut, IMO. You want to maintain as much LBM as possible. One thing I would mention is that, depending on your weight and BF%, you're probably cutting too fast, so you're going to see some loss of LBM if you keep it up. Since you say you see no difference, I assume you were pretty hefty to begin with, so you probably don't have to worry about it yet. Once you get to the point where you notice some good changes in your body, start aiming for 2# per week or slightly less.

[omdz]

Well start by adding some more intense spurts of cardio.
Do push ups, planks, Russian twists, tricep dips, walking lunges. If you don't have funds to add much more with weight use weights and do like wall squats and weighted body weight exercises.
Maybe add some more weight to your set. A bosu ball has been helpful along with a medicine ball. All different weights.
Diet will be most of the losing weight but you can only eat so little and it will only tone ya up so much. that is where exercise comes in. Muscle takes up less space and burns more calories than fat. So you are going to achieve goals faster with exercise. Hope this helps!

Cheers, With doing bench press should I do stuff that I can do 20 reps or heavy where I can only do like 3?

[omdz]

So....you spend 10 hours every day walking with ur friends? #kindagay

Lifting weights is a must on a cut, IMO. You want to maintain as much LBM as possible. One thing I would mention is that, depending on your weight and BF%, you're probably cutting too fast, so you're going to see some loss of LBM if you keep it up. Since you say you see no difference, I assume you were pretty hefty to begin with, so you probably don't have to worry about it yet. Once you get to the point where you notice some good changes in your body, start aiming for 2# per week or slightly less.

Yeah 10 hours a day does sound weird xD its not all walking its just we hang out somewhere then decide to go somewhere else 10 minutes after, its a big circle, there is no real places we cam really go unless we have money so we walk about untill we think of a motive =D

Yeah lifting as much as I can, trying to sell some stuff on eBay so I can get a dumbell set

[Sawa3]

Cheers, With doing bench press should I do stuff that I can do 20 reps or heavy where I can only do like 3?

You should do both. It's good to mix up your work out! Doing your max weight is helpful as I doin high reps and lower weight.

[Tm1212]

30lbs is soild man you should be happy with that. I am sure you feel healthier the physical results will increase. It is important to remain focused mentally and not quite becuase results physically arent what you wanted yet. Dont focus so much on what you see in the mirror. About 4 years ago I weighted 250 lbs. The lbs on the scale came off quick, but creating a body I was happy with took much longer, to be honest I am still not close to my exactly what I want. (as you get down in weight and the results are visible you become more and more of a picky with what you see)

When you are cutting weight drastically which it appears you are attempting, your body is going to build very little muscle. Muscle will be important for filling out your build and changing what you you see in the mirror. The more muscle mass the better you will look at higher weight. Personally the most effective way of body building for me was to decided to ethier cut weight or build muscle, as it is difficult for a novice to balance both (not impossible thought). If you attempt to balance weight lose with muscle gain the results will be much slower, you will only be able to cut 1lb to 1 1/2 lb of weight a week max while still increasing muscle. This is because if you cut weight you will lose fat as well as muscle (FAT DOES NOT TURN TO MUSCLE).

If your concerned with what you see in the mirror cutting weight first is probably your best bet. When cutting weight Diet is far more important than excersice (Diet is also very important in muscle building too). To cut you must eat less calories then you burn PERIOD! You are obviously currently doing that. Continue on this and stay focus dont worry about the mirror. I dont know what your body fat is but you have a long way till your down to a percent that you will appreciate what you see in the mirror. If you what to make this happen as quick as possible increase cardio and cut your calorie intake as low as you can, while still getting adaquate nutriction.

My struggle for a long time was I could not understand the importance of diet. "If I wanted to lose weight I must eat less calories. If I want to gain muscle I must eat more protien (and usually more calories)." It never hit me till I cut down to single digit body fat, and began to lose baby fat in those tough places that really ruin your apperence in the mirror (hips and chest). After cutting I could finally see the results my diet had on my weight training, because muscle growth and lose were much more apperent in short time frames.

Well enough with the motavational speech. To your questions... It appears your focus in your post is getting an excericse plan to build muscle. Well muscle building doesnt start at the gym believe it or not. It starts in the kitchen. IF you want to build muscle you need to be taking in at least 250 grams of protien (based on your weight) every day, complex carbs (I love my wheat!) and good fats. This is going to hurt you fat loss. You will not be able to turn that fat into muscle. Instead you will build muscle under fat and the fat will slowly come off as long as you have a calorie defict (and a calorie defict will also hinder your muscle building, as stated before) If done correctly you can lose weight and gain muscle. But again this is not optimal for most people. Most Body builders go through cycles, a bulk phase followed by a cut phase. All the while keeping a clean diet (the bulk phase should never be loaded up on juke food it should be a large intake of whole wheats, lean protiens and healthy fats).

As for an excersice plan. If you want to lose body fat high cardio and light weights is the way to go. If you want to muscle build, light cardio and a 3 to 5 day split using dumb bells is very effective. If you want to build strenght try the GST work out in the workout forum, its my favorite (will require a barbell mostlikely, or a smith machine). With time you will find the excerises that are effective for you, and as you build you will need to change them to keep the body surprised. But again DIET IS THE KEY HERE! Whether losing body fat or building muscle you can not do it with out the right ingredients in your body! DIET DIET DIET (With out a good control of what you put in your body you will never have a good control of the results) Cant say it enough!

Good Luck

[omdz]

30lbs is soild man you should be happy with that. I am sure you feel healthier the physical results will increase. It is important to remain focused mentally and not quite becuase results physically arent what you wanted yet. Dont focus so much on what you see in the mirror. About 4 years ago I weighted 250 lbs. The lbs on the scale came off quick, but creating a body I was happy with took much longer, to be honest I am still not close to my exactly what I want. (as you get down in weight and the results are visible you become more and more of a picky with what you see)

When you are cutting weight drastically which it appears you are attempting, your body is going to build very little muscle. Muscle will be important for filling out your build and changing what you you see in the mirror. The more muscle mass the better you will look at higher weight. Personally the most effective way of body building for me was to decided to ethier cut weight or build muscle, as it is difficult for a novice to balance both (not impossible thought). If you attempt to balance weight lose with muscle gain the results will be much slower, you will only be able to cut 1lb to 1 1/2 lb of weight a week max while still increasing muscle. This is because if you cut weight you will lose fat as well as muscle (FAT DOES NOT TURN TO MUSCLE).

If your concerned with what you see in the mirror cutting weight first is probably your best bet. When cutting weight Diet is far more important than excersice (Diet is also very important in muscle building too). To cut you must eat less calories then you burn PERIOD! You are obviously currently doing that. Continue on this and stay focus dont worry about the mirror. I dont know what your body fat is but you have a long way till your down to a percent that you will appreciate what you see in the mirror. If you what to make this happen as quick as possible increase cardio and cut your calorie intake as low as you can, while still getting adaquate nutriction.

My struggle for a long time was I could not understand the importance of diet. "If I wanted to lose weight I must eat less calories. If I want to gain muscle I must eat more protien (and usually more calories)." It never hit me till I cut down to single digit body fat, and began to lose baby fat in those tough places that really ruin your apperence in the mirror (hips and chest). After cutting I could finally see the results my diet had on my weight training, because muscle growth and lose were much more apperent in short time frames.

Well enough with the motavational speech. To your questions... It appears your focus in your post is getting an excericse plan to build muscle. Well muscle building doesnt start at the gym believe it or not. It starts in the kitchen. IF you want to build muscle you need to be taking in at least 250 grams of protien (based on your weight) every day, complex carbs (I love my wheat!) and good fats. This is going to hurt you fat loss. You will not be able to turn that fat into muscle. Instead you will build muscle under fat and the fat will slowly come off as long as you have a calorie defict (and a calorie defict will also hinder your muscle building, as stated before) If done correctly you can lose weight and gain muscle. But again this is not optimal for most people. Most Body builders go through cycles, a bulk phase followed by a cut phase. All the while keeping a clean diet (the bulk phase should never be loaded up on juke food it should be a large intake of whole wheats, lean protiens and healthy fats).

As for an excersice plan. If you want to lose body fat high cardio and light weights is the way to go. If you want to muscle build, light cardio and a 3 to 5 day split using dumb bells is very effective. If you want to build strenght try the GST work out in the workout forum, its my favorite (will require a barbell mostlikely, or a smith machine). With time you will find the excerises that are effective for you, and as you build you will need to change them to keep the body surprised. But again DIET IS THE KEY HERE! Whether losing body fat or building muscle you can not do it with out the right ingredients in your body! DIET DIET DIET (With out a good control of what you put in your body you will never have a good control of the results) Cant say it enough!

Good Luck

Wow, thanks for all that, I think I'll keep cutting as you said till I am low BF and then muscle gain

I'll still do 20-30 minutes of it every so often so I don't lose it all in the long cut

Thanks again man

[omdz]

You should do both. It's good to mix up your work out! Doing your max weight is helpful as I doin high reps and lower weight.

Okay, will do, I think I'll get "skinny" if that is possible then start doing proper weight lifting

I'll do what you said though, lifting weights is fun

Thanks

[Sawa3]

Okay, will do, I think I'll get "skinny" if that is possible then start doing proper weight lifting

I'll do what you said though, lifting weights is fun

Thanks

If you do things right you should build muscle while you lose weight if you are lifting weights plenty

[Tm1212]

If you do things right you should build muscle while you lose weight if you are lifting weights plenty

Yeah you definately should still be lifting weights during a cut. Also typically people just starting to lift can get away with building muscle and losing weight at the same time. Evetually however a strict bulk or cut is most effective for results (at least in my experience). You can balance your diet with enough protien and calories to build muscle while you cut, but there is a trade off. You will lose muscle as you burn fat.

That why I like keeping it simple (especially if the person is new to Body Building). I have one of three goals. Bulk, Cut or maintain. My diet changes drastically for these increasing results. Some people will even swear by the idea that you ethier Bulk or Cut, because if you try to do both you wont be optimizing results. Your body needs to be getting more calories then you burn (or close to) to build max gains, without losing muscle too. With that said in a cut it is also important to keep your protein very high to protect existing muscle.


Keep us updated, there are many walls to climb, the key is keeping mentally strong and judge how your body is responding to what you are feeding it and then gauge your progress in the gym. Plenty of information on this board to get you to your goals. Everything I have learned is a credit to the stickies and post by the members here and then appling that knowledge in my life.

[omdz]

Yeah you definately should still be lifting weights during a cut. Also typically people just starting to lift can get away with building muscle and losing weight at the same time. Evetually however a strict bulk or cut is most effective for results (at least in my experience). You can balance your diet with enough protien and calories to build muscle while you cut, but there is a trade off. You will lose muscle as you burn fat.

That why I like keeping it simple (especially if the person is new to Body Building). I have one of three goals. Bulk, Cut or maintain. My diet changes drastically for these increasing results. Some people will even swear by the idea that you ethier Bulk or Cut, because if you try to do both you wont be optimizing results. Your body needs to be getting more calories then you burn (or close to) to build max gains, without losing muscle too. With that said in a cut it is also important to keep your protein very high to protect existing muscle.


Keep us updated, there are many walls to climb, the key is keeping mentally strong and judge how your body is responding to what you are feeding it and then gauge your progress in the gym. Plenty of information on this board to get you to your goals. Everything I have learned is a credit to the stickies and post by the members here and then appling that knowledge in my life.

What do you mean by bulk? eat over maintenance to gain weight while getting muscle?

[Tm1212]

If you do things right you should build muscle while you lose weight if you are lifting weights plenty

Actually the more I read this post the more it seems completely false. I mean theres truth in this, but lifting weights plenty? what does that even mean. The worst advice I have ever heard is to lift alot or plenty. Lifting should be done with a balance of recovery, otherwise you are asking for alot of problems. And the statement completely neglects the importance of understanding your diet.

Muscle weights more than fat, so if you are building muscle (optimially) you will not be losing weight. You will be lowering body fat percentage potenially, because you have more muscle. If you are gaining muscle but losing more fat then yes...

You lose body fat (and muscle) by eating less than you burn. You build muscle with tearing muscle fibers and having them repaired via the protein and calories you eat (the more calories you eat the more your body can use to rebuild, and its not just protien carbs and fats play important roles in muscles recovery). So Gaining muscle and losing body fat at the same time is a real balancing of the scale, you need a calorie deficit while still taking in everything you need to properly build muscle. Just Lifting a lot will do not any these things without the right diet.

[nhclone]

If you do things right you should build muscle while you lose weight if you are lifting weights plenty

False. What is it you expect your body to use to build those muscles? If you already are in a deficit, the body is spending everything you put in and then some just to maintain itself. Newb gains happen when the body undergoes a newfound stress and puts anything and everything it can into fighting back against the stress. They won't be significant gains and you will not keep gaining if on a deficit.

[Tm1212]

What do you mean by bulk? eat over maintenance to gain weight while getting muscle?

You got it. To max out gains from lifting your body requires a lot of calories and protien. Id typically eat between 300 to 700 more calories (more if I really just cut to a low body fat percentage) than my maintence intake. All of it healthy whole grains, fatty acids or lean protein.

In your case the basic start would be weight lifting, cardio, with a high protien calorie deficit diet. Your goal should be a 1 lb or 2 a week, otherwise you will lose muscle!



If you are most concerned with apperence, Id suggesting a cut diet with alot of cardio, light(as in smaller weights) high rep(as in 12 to 20) per set lifting, and at least 250 grams of protien a day to protect existing muscle while having a much larger calorie defict.

[Tm1212]

You got it. To max out gains from lifting your body requires a lot of calories and protien. Id typically eat between 300 to 700 more calories (more if I really just cut to a low body fat percentage) than my maintence intake. All of it healthy whole grains, fatty acids or lean protein.

In your case the basic start would be weight lifting, cardio, with a high protien calorie deficit diet. Your goal should be a 1 lb or 2 a week, otherwise you will lose muscle!



If you are most concerned with apperence, Id suggesting a cut diet with alot of cardio, light(as in smaller weights) high rep(as in 12 to 20) per set lifting, and at least 250 grams of protien a day to protect existing muscle while having a much larger calorie defict.

Then after your down to a comfortable weight you can begin a bulk phase, the muscle will come on alot quicker, the body will be under less stress, and apprence wish you will see your gains instead of having fat over them.

[Tm1212]

Cheers, With doing bench press should I do stuff that I can do 20 reps or heavy where I can only do like 3?

whatever works for you and gets you sore the next day. Your body will tell you what you need over time. Just dont do anything dangerous without a spot. You say you do squat and deadlifts, thats big most novice avoid these because of difficulty. Make sure you work your body evenly. Also make sure your performing the excerises properly, nothing worse than wasted motion or injury.

Go to the workout section and see how they are broken down. With limited gym resources I would probably go with a spilt were I work my upper body one day rest lower body rest and repeat... Plus cardio at a high intensity. Dont neglect anything. Legs and core are very important while maybe not as pleasing as chest or biceps to work out. After you been lifting for a while, nothing will feel more satisifing then a good squat day, make you wanna rip the gym apart in a good way.

Get into the workout section so many memebers have put together great workouts to achieve whatever your goals are. One last thing remain patinent, results are slow and often not noticable by you from week to week or even month to month. The best way to think about it is that this is a life time commitment to healthy living. Once you reach your goals its not over. Maintaining them is just as much work, but you should take pride in keeping your body healthy and instead of being work it'll become your passion

[nhclone]

You got it. To max out gains from lifting your body requires a lot of calories and protien. Id typically eat between 300 to 700 more calories (more if I really just cut to a low body fat percentage) than my maintence intake. All of it healthy whole grains, fatty acids or lean protein.

In your case the basic start would be weight lifting, cardio, with a high protien calorie deficit diet. Your goal should be a 1 lb or 2 a week, otherwise you will lose muscle!



If you are most concerned with apperence, Id suggesting a cut diet with alot of cardio, light(as in smaller weights) high rep(as in 12 to 20) per set lifting, and at least 250 grams of protien a day to protect existing muscle while having a much larger calorie defict.

Hold up a sec. 1) Cardio is a good idea, but not required. Lots of cardio is good, but diet will give you significantly better results. 2) light weight, high rep for "toning" is bs. Mix up your sets and lift as much as you can. 3) Aim for 1g /# of LBM. 250grams of protein is a ton and unneccessary.

It's not that I disagree with your advice, but it seems a little extreme. For most people who join here, the easier they can lose the weight, the more likely they are to stick to it. Losing weight really is an easy process if you don't burn yourself out in the first week or two.

[omdz]

Thanks for all the info guys, just got back, my stuff sold on eBay so I have about £60 pounds to spend

Any cheap stuff any of you reccomend? I heard these caffeine tablets are good and they are dead cheap

[Tm1212]

Thanks for all the info guys, just got back, my stuff sold on eBay so I have about £60 pounds to spend

Any cheap stuff any of you reccomend? I heard these caffeine tablets are good and they are dead cheap

These do far more harm than good. Id avoid all supps as a balanced diet full of whole grains, Protein and good fats s so much more important. I mean their are people on here that will swear by this product or that, but the truth is none will make a drastic change to your results and if you dont eat right it wont make a single difference. If you feel lazy a prework out supp could help, but again you dont need it. Plus alot of the thing they put into them are things that are untested and in too large of amounts to be sure they are safe over the long term.

The only supp I touch is Whey Protein, and only take it if I miss a meal and fail to get n proper protein, or I think I am a little light on calories for that day.

[Khabaal]

Thanks for all the info guys, just got back, my stuff sold on eBay so I have about £60 pounds to spend

Any cheap stuff any of you reccomend? I heard these caffeine tablets are good and they are dead cheap

Just remain in a caloric deficit, lift heavy, and get your fats and proteins in. You don't need any supplements (unless you can't get through class or work, you probably don't really need caffeine).

Patience is your best friend right now. Also, I can see the progress, but you need to take better pictures if possible. Try for an area that you can assure similar lighting and try not to take the pics at an angle. You'll see the results better without perspective throwing proportions out of whack. Good job so far and good luck.